Before, when one mentions United Arab Emirates or any country in the Middle East, I always form a picture of the blazing sun, sand dunes, and camels in my head. I imagined the country to be very dry, with the occassional palm trees, and yes, very sandy.
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| desert (picture taken from the top of Jebel Hafeet) |
I arrived in Abu dhabi in March 2009. Excited and curious, I exited the airport and saw trees, lots of them. It was also cold, not what I was expecting. (I didn't do research on the UAE before I went here :) ) On my way to my new home, there were still more trees, and tall shrubs, and no camels.
I went to Abu Dhabi City the next day and was amazed by the rows of trees that lined the roads. I love trees, that's why I salute the government's effort in planting (and caring for) them in a place where they could hardly grow. It was still cold during my first days here, because winter runs from October to March, that I know now.
One thing I got right though was the sand. It's everywhere. Especially since we live outside the city. Every time there's a sandstorm or even strong winds, expect furnitures to be coated in sand.
Weeks passed and I continued to discover more about this country that will be my home for the next few years. It is a very rich country, that I am sure. Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys, Lamborghinis are common. Petrol is cheap, the roads are well maintained and road assistance is quick to respond in times of accidents.
The malls here are huge with many western and european brands that cater to the large expat population. Grocery stores like Carrefour and Lulu are also stocked with products from different countries.
There are also lots of parks in Abu dhabi. The plants and the trees are well cared for. Parks are packed with families on Thursdays and Fridays especially during the winter. Only a few go to the park in summer, most go to the malls where the ac is on full blast. May to August are the hottest months, with temperatures reaching as high as 50 degrees celcius!
In the UAE, Sunday to Thursday are work days, Friday and Saturday are weekends.
And then there's Dubai...
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| On the way to Dubai |
Tall and even taller buildings everywhere, even more luxury cars, and even bigger malls.
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| tall and even taller buildings |
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| more buildings |
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| Burj al Arab, 7-star hotel |
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| Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on Earth |
And about the camels that I thought was common in the UAE, turns out that they're not. The only times that I have seen a camel was when we went to Dubai where we passed several farms, and when we went on a desert safari where you can ride a camel or just have a photo taken with it.
Even after years of living in the UAE, there are still loads to discover about Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. With the construction of new malls, parks, and other tourist attractions yearly, one can easily find things to do in this place I've grown to love.
wonderful pictures
ReplyDeletethank you :)
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